


Never Turn Down a Picnic

by angellwings



Series: Suddenly You [2]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bar Meet AU, Confessions, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Picnics, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:57:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4411103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angellwings/pseuds/angellwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake actually gets up the nerve to ask Cassandra on a date and plans Cassandra's favorite type of date without even realizing it. Part 2 of "Well, I Guess That's Something" which started as Bar Meet AU tumblr prompt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Turn Down a Picnic

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to write a part 2 to this Bar Meet AU idea and I may even continue it as a series because I have some other ideas for things these versions of Jake and Cassie could do together. ;) HAPPY LIBRARIANS FIC WEEK!  
> Enjoy!  
> angellwings

They both finished their beers and Cassandra realized just how late it had gotten. It was Friday night, though, and it’s not as if she had anywhere to be in the morning. Still, she was getting tired and with exhaustion came the tendency to hallucinate and so far this interaction had been untainted by that complication. She hoped to keep it that way for as long as possible.

“Well,” Cassandra said finally as she stood from the barstool. “I should go. It’s getting late.”

Jacob glanced over at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened slightly. “I didn’t realize we’d been talking for so long,” he told her with a charming smile.

“Time flies when the conversation is interesting, I guess,” Cassandra said brightly.

As she stood and shouldered her purse Jacob realized she held one single key in her hand and he didn’t hear any others jingling. Which meant, she either didn’t have anywhere to live or didn’t have a car. She seemed like a city girl so he was betting on the latter.

“Did you walk here?” He asked as he looked from the keys back to her.

“Oh, yes,” she said with a nod. “My apartments not far. It was maybe a ten minute walk. It was nice actually. I haven’t had much of a chance to explore the town yet.”

“It’s a little late to walk back by yourself,” Jake said as he too stood up. “I could give you a ride.”

She gave him a wary look. “I, um--you don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine. I have mace and, though I may not look it, I’m pretty scrappy.”

He chuckled at her and grinned. “Oh, you very much look scrappy. I have no doubt about that, but I’d feel better if you’d at least let me walk you home.”

She bit her bottom lip nervously and he held up his hands as a gesture of peace.

“I promise I will keep my hands to myself,” he said with a pleading expression. “It’s just that my mama didn’t raise me to let a lady walk home alone.”

Her thoughtful stare gave way to a small smile as she finally nodded. “I suppose you could give me a ride. If you really want to, that is. I don’t want you to go out of your way or anything.”

“its not out of my way at all,” he said with a kind smile. “I’d be happy to do it.”

“Well, then, thank you,” she said with a bright smile as she let him lead her out of the bar.

He led her to a black Dodge Charger and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Nice car,” she said with a smile.

“Oh yeah, well I don’t get to splurge on much,” he admitted as he opened her door for her. He missed her surprised expression as he continued to speak. “I figured I could let myself splurge on a car. Don’t really get to drive it much further than the town line most days but at least I look good doing it.”

She giggled at him as she got into the car and he quickly walked around the car to join her from the driver’s side. “I’ve never had a car,” she told him as he closed the door and started the car. “I grew up in a city. We had public transportation to go anywhere we needed to go.” She didn’t mention the fact that her parents didn’t let her drive because they were afraid she’d hallucinate and lose control. She was a bit scared of that herself honestly. “I don’t even have a license.”

He gave her a startled look. “Really?”

She shrugged. “Never needed to learn. Plus, the other cars on the road sort of terrify me.”

His shock gave way to understanding and he nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a reasonable fear. I never really thought about it that way to be honest.”

She directed him on how to get to her apartment and the ride was over much too quickly for Jacob’s liking and as she reached for the door handle he cleared his throat nervously. She immediately turned to look at him. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words so instead he got out of the car and walked around to open the door for her, and then walked her to the door of her building in an awkward and anxious silence. He knew what he wanted to ask and he’d never had trouble asking a girl this before—never--but, for some reason, _this girl_ was different.

“Can I, um, see you again sometime?” He finally asked with a small shy smile as they stopped in front of the door.

She beamed at him and nodded eagerly. “Yes! I—I mean. Yes. I would like that very much.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a small worn notebook and a pen. She scribbled something down and tore out the paper she’d written on. She then placed it in his hand. “That’s my number. I’m usually done with class by four every day so you can call any time after that.”

“I, well, I was actually thinking…are you free tomorrow?” He asked with a grin.

She chuckled at him. “We just spent the night talking about how I’m new in town. Of course, I’m free.”

“Right,” he said with a nervous laugh. “I have the day off from the Rig. I was thinking maybe we could have lunch or something? I could show you around town if you like.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she answered excitedly.

“I could pick you up around eleven?” He asked.

She nodded. “It’s a date.”

“Yeah,” he said with a soft smile. “It is.”

He hesitated a moment as he prepared to leave and questioned what he should do now. A handshake wasn’t right and a hug might be weird. He didn’t really know how she was about contact or personal space. A kiss was for sure out. She was skittish enough about him giving her a ride besides it was a little too early for that. While he was running through the possibilities and nearly having a stroke she smiled at his panicked face affectionately. She decided to solve the dilemma for him and leaned forward to place a soft and short kiss on his cheek.

“It was nice to meet you, Jacob,” she said softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He blinked at her in shock before he finally collected his wits and nodded. “Right, yeah, okay. You too, Cassie. And yes, yes, tomorrow.”

She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at how adorably flustered he seemed. “At eleven.”

“Yes, at eleven,” he said as he backed away from her toward his car. He tripped over his feet for a moment but caught himself just as quickly and nervously ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just gonna…go.”

She brought her thumbnail to her mouth as she smiled at him and nodded. “Drive safe.” God, he was too cute. He waved one last time as he got in his car and drove away. She laughed to herself and then stepped into her building. Going out to that bar tonight was the best decision she’d made since she’d moved to this town. So far she was liking Oklahoma a lot more than she’d ever liked New York.

* * *

 

The next day Cassandra had gotten up much earlier than she needed to. She wanted to be bright eyed by the time Jacob arrived to pick her up and in her experience an early start was the best way to achieve that. Plus she did have a few things she needed to get done first. By the time there was a knock at her door she was ready for their date with a black short dress decorated with a large Daisy printed on the chest, a white cropped short sleeve blouse was layered under it with the collar peeking out. She wore white knee socks and black patent T-bar flats on her feet. She opened the door to find Jacob Stone standing in front of her without the cowboy hat from the night before in a basic t-shirt and jeans combination which still looked very enticing on him. She’d only seen him once, in the dim light of the bar with the cowboy hat on, so seeing him without it was a bit of an adjustment for her.

Though, she wasn’t complaining. This time she could actually tell what color his eyes were. Blue, very blue. She smiled brightly at him and grabbed her little backpack before she stepped outside to join him. She was a lot nervous. What if how well they got on last night was just a fluke? What if in the light of day this didn’t work?

“Hi,” she said with a shy smile as she stood in front of him.

“Hi,” he said with a warm smile of his own. She looked around and noticed his charger wasn’t anywhere to be found. He spotted her confusion and nodded down the street her building was on. “I thought we’d walk today. There’s a park not far from here.” He lifted up the basket he had in his right hand and grinned. “I thought we’d have a picnic. It’s too nice outside to sit inside a restaurant somewhere.”

She suppressed the urge to squeal in delight. She loved picnics. When she needed a change of scene she’d convince her parents to let her study outside in the park with snacks she’d packed and a few books. It made the never-ending hours they required her to study actually bearable. “Great! I never turn down a good picnic,” she told him happily as they started to walk down the street.

“I figure we’ll eat and talk a little bit and then we can walk around town,” he told her with an easy smile. “Shouldn’t take us long. There’s not much here.”

“There you go again,” she said with a sad smile. “Talking about this town like it’s the worst place in the world.”

“I don’t mean to talk it down, really,” he told her honestly. “And its not so much the town I don’t think as it is the fact that I feel…”

“Trapped?” She asked knowingly.

“Yes!” He said with a sigh. “That’s exactly it.”

“Trust me. I know how that feels. You feel like everything’s been decided for you and that you might be able to change it,” she paused and took a deep fortifying breath. “If only you could just…leave. If anyone gets that, it’s me.”

He blinked at her for a long moment. “How do you know exactly what I’m…no one here has ever understood that.”

She blushed and glanced down at the street as they walked. “It’s part of the reason I came here. To have room to breathe. To make a decision for myself. So, trust me, you’re not alone.”

“Yeah, but, you’re here. You did something about it,” he told her. “You got out.”

She shook her head. “Not really. And I didn’t have to leave to get out. I could have done that in New York. I just wasn’t brave enough. I took the easy way out. I ran. Running is a lot less brave than standing up for yourself,” she said softly. “I bet you’d really like this town if you stood up for the choices _you_ want to make.”

He nudged her shoulder gently to get her attention and she reluctantly met his eyes. “Running is brave too. Don’t underestimate that. Sometimes it’s the only choice you’ve got. I’d never be able to do that. I’d never have the guts to just… _leave_. So, believe _me_ when I say, that’s brave too. Besides, I’m…glad that you ran. Running led you here.”

She smiled brightly and blushed as she bit her bottom lip. “Thank you,” she told him. “So, you packed a picnic?” She asked as she changed the subject. “What did you pack?”

“Nothing too fancy. Sandwiches, chips, sweet tea, some fruit for dessert. Just your basic picnic,” he said with a smile. “It was sort of a last minute idea so—“

“No, really, that sounds great!” She said as she clapped excitedly. “I used to picnic in the park all the time back home. It was the only was I could get out of the house during my study hours.”

His brow furrowed. “You had study hours?”

She nodded. “Social life was a no go in my house growing up,” she told him with a bitter chuckle. “But on the plus side I have a wall full of trophies in my parents house to show for it. I had a full scholarship to any college I wanted, really. So their pushing had its benefits. I just wish things had been more balanced sometimes, that’s all.” She shook her head at herself and then continued. “But you don’t want to hear about that. I’m totally bringing us down. Sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize,” he said urgently. “I want to know whatever you’re comfortable telling me. Honest.”

She gave him a suspicious glance. “Really?”

He nodded and smiled again. “Really.”

“What about you?” She asked. “What was growing up here like?”

He shrugged. “Normal.”

She snorted and then gave him a questioning glance. “I think we’ve established that I have no idea what _normal_ is. You might have to educate me on it.”

He gave her a lop-sided grin and shook his head with a chuckle. “You know, played on the football team. Worked after school at the family business. Stayed in town after graduation to run the family business.”

She had a feeling there was more to it for him than that, but she didn’t want to push him. They reached the park and he picked a shady spot and spread out the blanket he’d stacked on top of the basket while they were walking and they sat down across from each other. An awkward silence fell over them. Cassandra, for her part, was feeling guilty about not telling him about her hallucinations. She was afraid she’d suddenly have one in front of him and freak him out. Wouldn’t it best to just tell him now? But what if he looked at her the way everyone else did? Like she was a freak…or weak? Or broken. She didn’t want that. Not again.

But maybe she could test the waters. Bring up a topic close to it and see what he says. She bit her bottom lip and then spoke up as he started to busy himself with unpacking the basket.

“So, have you ever heard of synesthetes?” She asked casually. Or she tried to ask casually. Who casually brings up synesthetes?

To her surprise his eyes lit up and he answered immediately. “Yes! They’re senses are mixed with the logical half of their brain. They count in colors or smell musical notes. It’s actually really interesting. There was an Italian artist, Boccioni, that was a synesthete—“ he suddenly stopped himself as if he’d just realized what he said. The excitement in his eyes was replaced by nerves and fear as he continued, “I think I heard one night on the radio.”

Her small smile that had been on her face as he talked grew larger when he stopped suddenly. He knew what they were. He thought synesthetes were interesting. She felt nerves in the pit of her stomach again for the first time since she’d opened her apartment door. She looked down at the blanket and wrung her hands together before she decided to follow up with a question. “How did you know that? I mean, is that true? About Boccioni?”

“Why were you asking?” He asked warily.

“What would you think if I told you I was a synesthete?” She asked after a long moment of silence.

“Are you?” He asked.

She nodded but said nothing and refused to look up at him again.

“Yes, what I said about Boccioni is true,” Jake answered her softly. “And I didn’t hear it one night on the radio.”

She dared to look up and meet his eyes. “I can see and touch numbers. I can do math without having to work anything out on paper. It sort of appears in the air around me. That’s…that’s why I’m here. Professor Carsen thinks he can help me work through it. Sometimes it gets to be too much and I…I get lost in it. Or I’m in the middle of a conversation and suddenly there’s an equation in front of my face and it won’t go away until I work it out. It…It doesn’t exactly make me popular. Or encourage people to stick around.”

“Well then those people are idiots,” Jake told her gently as he kept a steady gaze on her.

She blushed and smiled warmly at him before she asked, “If you didn’t hear about Boccioni on the radio then how did you know that?”

He stood up and came around the blanket to sit next to her instead of across from her and then answered her in a low secretive tone. “I sort of have an IQ of 190.”

He waited for her response and breathed a sigh of relief when a large smile appeared on her face. It wasn’t mocking or malicious. It was a genuinely happy smile.

“I also write numerous papers and books about Art History under a pseudonym,” he admitted as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. “No one here knows.”

“No one?” She asked. “Not even your family?”

“Especially not my family,” he told her with a sigh. “They wouldn’t understand.”

“So, why are you telling me?” She asked as she leaned toward him with a conspiratory smile.

“You trusted me with something pretty big and I guess I thought I should…return the favor,” he said with an affectionate smile.

“Yeah, but mine would have come out eventually,” she reminded him. “I can’t hide it. You could have hidden yours from me. Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug and a sheepish grin. “I suppose it was because even last night you could see more of me than anyone else in this town. You saw right through me. I don’t think I could have hidden it from you as easily as you think. In the less than 24 hours I’ve known you you’ve proved yourself to be frighteningly perceptive.”

“I promise you that I’m not with anyone else,” she said as she scooted a little closer to him. “But with you it’s different. I just seem to…”

“Get me,” he finished for her. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that.” He smiled and scooted a little closer to her as well. “I like it.”

She beamed at him and nodded in agreement. “Me too.”

He brought a hand up to touch the side of her face and gently caressed her cheek. She blushed and leaned into his hand just slightly.

“I like _you_ , Cassandra,” he said as he met her eyes again. “I just do.”

She placed her hand over his as he continued to caress her cheek. “I like you too, Jacob.”

He started to lean forward but stopped short of closing the distance between them. “Do you—do you mind if I--?” He asked as his gaze flicked from her eyes to her lips.

She shook her head eagerly. “I don’t mind. I really don’t.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. A split second later his lips were on hers and Cassandra felt a thrill like she’d never felt before. She’d been kissed before but she’d never felt like this before. Lips against lips, his hand slipped from her face back further into her red waves, his nose brushed hers every so often, and her hands found his shoulders and then her arms slid back to wrap around his neck. The kiss became kisses which continued for several minutes until the need for air became too great and they reluctantly pulled apart.

They exchanged silly giddy smiles for a long moment before Jake cleared his throat and then reached for the food.

“Sandwich?” He asked her with a grin.

Cassandra laughed and nodded as she took a sandwich off the plate he held out to her. “I almost forgot what we came out here for.”


End file.
